As an avid martial arts enthusiast, I was very pleased to see the more obscure Indo-Aryan-Persian arts showcased in the characters of Silat and, for the most part, the warriors of the Kushan empire. This being said, I think the choice of name for Silat's character to be somewhat unfortunate in the sense that it is also the umbrella term given to several Southeast Asian arts originating from the Majapahit/Maphillandro or Visayan Empires (depending on who you talk to, esentially Malaysia, Indonesia, and the southern part of the Phillippines).
Bearing this distinction in mind, Silat's character (and his cadre) use such obscure and rarely seen Middle Eastern and Indian weapons such as the Chakram (the fire wheel, a projectile disc like knife) Urumi (the flexible blade that resembles a ribbon) and a cornicopia of swords such as the talwar and the firangi.
It just made me happy that a manga writer would choose to fashion his characters with these backgrounds and pay such attention to detail in his designs. It also allows for an interesting dynamic when seen in stark contrast to the more western, medeival arsenal held by most of the other characters, and gives one a sense of what the Crusades may have been like, in terms of the tools employed by each respective side.
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Bearing this distinction in mind, Silat's character (and his cadre) use such obscure and rarely seen Middle Eastern and Indian weapons such as the Chakram (the fire wheel, a projectile disc like knife) Urumi (the flexible blade that resembles a ribbon) and a cornicopia of swords such as the talwar and the firangi.
It just made me happy that a manga writer would choose to fashion his characters with these backgrounds and pay such attention to detail in his designs. It also allows for an interesting dynamic when seen in stark contrast to the more western, medeival arsenal held by most of the other characters, and gives one a sense of what the Crusades may have been like, in terms of the tools employed by each respective side.
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